Miss America 2012 to take spotlight at MAOT Pageant

Miss America’s Outstanding Teen is pleased to announce Greg Hutson and Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler as the 2012 co-hosts for the final night of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition, which will be held on Saturday, August 18.

Originally from the Midwest, Greg got his start in entertainment in in his late teens performing at professional sporting events for Sports Magic Team and as a radio sidekick for Storm Bennett on KISS-FM in Cincinnati. He then moved on to host onboard cruise ships for Carnival Cruise Lines and in 2006 became a co-host on the CBS show “Good Day SA” in San Antonio.

Here in Orlando, Greg has become the face of entertainment hosting The American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as the Entertainment Host for Fox’s ‘Good Day Orlando’. Greg also appears as the In-Arena Host for the Orlando Magic.

Hailing from Kenosha, Wisconsin, Laura Kaeppeler was crowned Miss America 2012 on January 14, 2011, on ABC. Since her crowning, she has been traveling the country appearing on numerous national and local television programs, making corporate appearances, and talking about MAO’s national platform, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, her personal platform of Circles of Support – Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents, and focusing on promoting education for young women.

As Miss America, Laura will spend her year traveling throughout the United states fundraising for and serving as the Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Laura will also use her year of service to encourage young women to obtain a college education and will focus on driving interest in the arts, as well as science, technology, engineering and math (also known as STEM) education.

Laura’s passion for her platform, Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents, stems from her personal experience. While in high school, Laura’s father served 18 months in federal prison for a white collar crime. Inspired by her own experience, Laura founded Circles of Support, a mentoring support group for children of incarcerated parents.

During 2012 pageant week, Laura’s operatic vocal performance of “Il Bacio” won her the Talent Award on the first preliminary night.

David Weincek To Host Preliminary Nights of Competition

David Weincek will serve as the preliminary night host for the 2012 Miss America’s Outstanding Teen competition.

After serving as a national MAOTeen judge in 2008, David is excited to be returning as a preliminary night host. A New York City based theater veteran, David has appeared in leading roles in over 100 stage productions in New York and at major regional theaters across the country.

His film credits include It’s Complicated, Baby Mama, and The Stepford Wives, and he regularly appears on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. David has also been featured in several commercials for companies such as IKEA and FedEx and in the Citibank print ad campaign. David is a graduate of the prestigious New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is a dedicated volunteer for the Make a Wish Foundation.

About Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Pageant

Miss America’s Outstanding Teen is a scholarship-based program offering accomplished teens the opportunity to be awarded funds for college. The program promotes scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America’s teens. In the past five years, the organization has made available more than $4 million in college scholarships.